I wish that I was far away
by Mjus
Summary: On their jorney west Sanzo&co stops in a village where Sanzo is mistaken for the witch hunting the forest. But when they suddenly meet the witch in person, they're in for the ride of their lives... or deaths. COMPLETE
1. Prologue

**_Prologue_ **

A child was happily picking flowers for her mother in the forest. She chose blue and pink ones, her favourite colours. Her mother really loved flowers, but couldn't afford to plant any in her small garden. The entire area had to be occupied with eatable vegetables and herbs so that they wouldn't have to starve. But the forest was full of flowers. The girl hadn't listened to why she was not allowed to go too far into the forest. She had heard the stories for too long to care.

Everybody said the same thing; "If you go too far into the forest, the witch will take you. No one knows what terrible things she could do to you."

So what? She had lived in that village all of her twelve years of living, and she had never seen anything in this forest that could be named as dangerous. But all the grownups continued to tell the scary stories about the witch living in the forest, surrounded by demons. According to the elder, the only one who seemed to have ever seen the witch, she had violet eyes and golden hair, looking like a devil sprung from the worst of nightmares.

Suddenly, she heard someone singing. Curious, the girl walked closer to the sound. As she looked between the trees she spotted a broad river with a high cliff leading straight down into the water on the other side. But on this side of the river there sat someone with their legs in the water. She stopped to listen.

_No matter who I am_

_I'm struggling to live_

_I sail the endless sea that promise me my death_

_I wish that I was far away_

_Out of reach for you_

A bird glided down and sat on the person's shoulder, soon before the person turned towards her.

The girl gasped as she stared into magnificent purple eyes. The long face was framed with a hair of gold. The person looked bored as the deep eyes scanned her, the gaze so intense she couldn't even more. The stories about the witch of the forest came crashing down on her with full force. All the stories of strong men who had walked into the witch's territory, but never returned, only a few of their belongings, probably dropped, was found after them.

A fish jumped right in front of the witch. A spear shoot out, hitting the poor fish dead on, and it joined a bunch of other, unlucky fishes on the spear.

The girl didn't watch any more. As soon as the witch turned her gaze away and started to move, she regained her ability to move and rushed straight back to the village.

The person on the riverbank stood, brushing off their cloths with one hand, firmly gripping the fish-filled spear with the other, before they started to walk along the shoreline towards a small hut that stood in safety in the shadows of a weeping willow. But stopped at the sight of another person standing there.

"Piss off. I have no business with you."

The yokai turned around at the sound of a voice. "Hey, lookit this bombshell. Ye live here Blondie?"

"Go to hell. Are you eager to die? I can help you with that."

The yokai hissed between his teeth. "Don't you fuck talk like that to me!"

Those were the yokai's last words. The witch's spear sliced his throat open, and a kick to his jaw from below finished breaking his neck. The witch looked at the fishes.

"Humph. You just ruined my dinner."


	2. The Sanzo party arrives

Just check my profile for information, okay? I'm too lazy to write all the information in here too.

On with the story and don't forget to review

* * *

_**The Sanzo party arrives**_

"I'm so damn hungry. Can't we stop to eat soon?"

"Shut up you brainless stomach ape."

"Can't ye stop calling me a monkey?"

"A monkey's a monkey, no matter what names you give it."

"Then you're a hopeless flirting pervert kappa."

"What?! Take that back, you wandering stomach or I'll…"

"Shut the HELL up!"

"Ah, what a peaceful day," Hakkai smiled.

"Ah, I'm so hungry I could eat a stone," Goku complained.

"Then _eat_ stone," Gojyo said annoyed.

"Wha? But they don't look so yummy."

"Can't you think of anything but food?"

"How can I think of somethin' else when I'm HUNGRY?"

"SILENCE!"

The two in the back shut their traps close for the time to be.

"Oh, I think I see a village over there. Let's see if we can stay there for the night."

"Yay! FOOD!"

"Shut up about your stupid food, monkey."

"You have no right to call me monkey, kappa."

"I have every right to call a monkey monkey!"

With his usual smile stuck on his face, Hakkai turned the steering-wheel and drove towards the village as the two in the back continued their usual quarrel.

They stopped a little outside the village, as there was no actual road where Jeep could drive. At first look, the village looked like any other they had passed; small houses with their little gardens, kids playing on the road… everything looked peaceful and normal. Goku rushed up to a kind looking woman, carrying a basket of potatoes.

"Hey missy. Ya know anywhere we could stay tonight?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. You'll have to talk to the elder if…"

A scream interrupted her and everyone turned to a small girl who was pointing at Sanzo with a trembling finger.

"The witch! It's the witch!"

"The witch?"

Women and children immediately rushed into safety in the houses while men picked up first, sharp weapon at hand and surrounded the Sanzo team.

One of the men turned to where the girl who had yelled stood, hiding in her mother's arms. "Girl, which one is the witch?"

"The one with golden hair," the girl said and pointed.

Everybody turned to a very dumbfound Sanzo. "Leave us alone, witch. We don't want you here."

"Go back to hell where you belong!"

"What th' HELL is going on?" Goku asked.

"Ah, I think they think Sanzo is a witch," Hakkai pointed out the obvious as usual.

"We've been called a lot, but 'witch' is new," Gojyo said, looking around nervously.

"Don't you try to fool us, witch," the girl yelled angrily. "I saw you yesterday. I saw you at the riverbank. You can't fool me. I _saw_ you."

"Are you sure?" Sanzo asked, quickly getting annoyed.

"Of cause I am. I saw your golden hair. I saw your violet eyes and long face. I saw you stab a jumping fish without even looking at it."

"Fish?" Goku looked at Sanzo with big eyes, as if he awaited the priest to pick a fish out of his cloths. But there was one little problem to that. "But Sanzo doesn't even _smell_ of fish," he complained.

"Of cause I don't. We haven't been near a river in two weeks. And I haven't been eating fish in some time."

"Wait."

The town people turned to a very old as good as bald man coming their way. He peered his old eyes at the gang. "Have you not listened to me when I have told you about the witch living in the forest? The witch is no man. It is a woman. And as far as I can see…" the old man moved with surprising speed and had both his hands on Sanzo's chest before it could be prevented. "This is no woman."

Hakkai, Gojyo and Goku together had to hold Sanzo back to stop him from killing the old man on the spot, whose laugher sounded like and owl's hoo-hoo-ing.

* * *

"So, you say there is a witch living in the forest that looks just like Sanzo?" Hakkai asked politely where they sat in the elder's house. 

"I have not seen her in ten years, but she is still out there. Men are disappearing every now and then in the forest and never returns."

"They may just have lost themselves in the woods," Gojyo said as a matter of fact.

"If it was so well," the old man sighed as a woman served them some food.

"Yaaaay. These look YUMMY! Can I eat them all?" Goku said with stars in his eyes at the plate of pirogues.

"Um, sure. I can make more for you, if you want."

"RALLY!" Goku was floating on clouds by now.

"Really," the woman smiled. "Take it as an excuse for my daughter's behaviour."

"YAY!"

"Oi, you really saw someone looking like me in the woods?" Sanzo asked the grumpy girl sitting across of him."

"Don't try to fool me, witch. I know I saw you yesterday. If you're a real witch you can change yourself into something else. But I know I saw you. You can't fool me."

"Well, since Sanzo has been with us the latest five months and we've never seen him with a spear, I doubt it was actually him you saw," Hakkai tried.

"It isn't natural to have hair that brightly golden or eyes so deeply violet…"

"Hana. If you don't stop right now I won't let you eat for the rest of the day," her mother suddenly threatened harshly. "This is a Sanzo priest. Don't you dare to be rude any more than you already have been!"

"But she is kind of right," Hakkai put in.

"You're on her side?" Sanzo asked, warning clear in his voice.

"A ha-ha," Hakkai laughed nervously. "But… the only one we have met this far that has your colour of hair and eyes are that clone, remember. Other than that, of all we have met, no one has come anywhere close to you in likeness."

Sanzo made an annoyed sound deep in his throat. "I guess that's right. It's not my fault that I look like this."

"Hey, hey, Sanzo. If there's someone out there that looks like you. Shouldn't we check 'em up?"

"No," Sanzo said flatly, ending the conversation.

* * *

That night, for some unknown, annoying reason, Sanzo couldn't sleep. It avoided him, however much he tried to relax and force the soft darkness to overtake him. Sleep simply refused to come to him. 

Unknown to him, and to all, the witch in the forest had the same problem. At last she sat up and sat in a window. And just at the same time, Sanzo sat in the small window in his room as well.

_I wish that I was far away_

_Across the edge of Time_

_In front of me are mountains_

_To pass them I must climb_

_When cliffs are placed behind me_

_I meet the deceitful sea that promise me my death_

_I wish that I was far away_

_Out of reach for love_

Lulled by their own singing, Sanzo and the witch fell a sleep in their windows.

In the morning, Hakkai, Gojyo and Goku realized two things that weren't as they used to be. 1) Sanzo was sleeping in. 2) When he woke up he hummed quietly on a melody none of them had ever heard before.

_Later that day:_

"Are you sure it is a shortcut?" Gojyo asked suspiciously.

"According to the map, there is a road on the other side of the forest that should lead us straight to the next town."

"But we can't take jeep through the forest. It's too thick," Sanzo said as he cast a glance at the towering trees that surrounded the village on two sides.

"More importantly," Gojyo continued and looked over his shoulder. "What should we do with your little stalker, Sanzo?"

Hana quickly hid behind the open door once again. Sanzo heaved a deep sigh. "If she's so eager to die, let her."

"Well," Gojyo mumbled to Hakkai. "I guess 'witch' doesn't hit far from the target."

"What did you say?" Sanzo said, a nerve pulsing in his temple.

"Nothing, nothing. Geez, ease up, man. You've got all spikes out since we arrived here."

"Blame yourself."

"What'll happen if we just continue where we left off yesterday?" Goku asked.

Hakkai studied the map. "It looks like it will take about three days to reach the next village, and our food doesn't last that long."

"We'll go through the forest," Goku decided. "Right, Sanzo?"

"Looks like we don't have much of a choice."

"Oi, girl. Better not follow us, you know. You'll make your mother worry."

The girl stepped out from her hideout. "I know you're the witch. I don't know what you want here, but I'll find out."

"You're sure eager to die."

"We better get going," Hakkai said, his smile slightly nervous.

* * *

The forest was brightly green this early summer day. Every here and there the sun reached down to the moss clad ground and gave a ray of gold in all the green. Small flowers coloured the clearings in white, pink, yellow and blue, wild roses were sprouting their blood red flowers. The air was filled with birds' singing and the wind's whistles in the trees. It was such an air of peace the team became tense. The only one who seemed to enjoy himself was Jeep.

"I don't like this," Goku confessed lowly.

"It's too quiet," Gojyo agreed.

"I sense something, but it's so weak I can't tell what it is," Hakkai said lowly. Even he had dropped his usual carefree expression, giving room for his worry.

Sanzo said nothing. He continued north, using the sun as guideline. Soon, they could make out the sound of water through the chirping of the birds.

"I guess we're nearing the river Sanzo's stalker saw our 'witch' at," Hakkai said. "But I couldn't see any river on the map."

"Maybe it's getting old," Gojyo suggested.

"But it shouldn't be," Hakkai protested.

"Oi, Sanzo, I think we got a problem," Goku called from ahead.

The others quickly made their way over to where Goku stood, bathing in sunlight.

"You gotta be kidding me," Gojyo hissed, mostly to himself.

"How are we goin' to climb that wall, Sanzo?"

"There's no freaking way a cliff can be that sooth," Sanzo mumbled, staring at the wall opposite the river. Not only was the river wide, the wall went straight up from the water like a stone wall in a house as far as they could see up and down, except for one place.

"Ah, Sanzo. I think Jeep has found a place where we could cross the river _and_ climb up the wall."

"Then let's not waste our time then," was all Sanzo said before he followed the green eyed man to where he pointed.

What Jeep had found was a tree that had fallen over the river and landed on the top of the wall on the other side. The only problem was that it had been there for a very long time.

"You think it's safe to go, Sanzo?" Goku asked in that childlike way he always did.

"We don't have much of a choice, stupid. We can climb this tree to the other side or starve for three days."

"Wha!? Then let's go!"

Goku was first out to start climbing up the steeply leaning trunk towards the other side. Gojyo was soon after him, then Sanzo and Hakkai last. But as they were halfway, there was a loud, creaking sound.

"Don't tell me…" Gojyo started, right before the tree suddenly gave away under them, leaving them all flying through the empty space down towards the river.

Sanzo was the only one who managed, with a great deal luck, land on his feet and realize the water was very shallow. Both Hakkai and Gojyo got the air hit out of them as they landed on their backs. And Goku somehow managed to land on his head.

"That was…" Gojyo started gasping, when suddenly his sentence was cut short by someone laughing their head off. "…not funny," the redhead ended his sentence.

They turned towards the sound, seeing a person with blonde hair lean against a trunk in their laugher. Apparently they must look very stupid.

"Oi! It's not funny! Ya hear me? Stop laughing or I'll…" splash. Goku suddenly seemed to fall down into a hole or something under the water. And it just increased the flow of laugher from the person ashore.

Goku's head broke the surface quite far from where he disappeared, using a broken piece of wood to keep himself at place.

"Goku, you're alright?" Hakkai called.

"Yea, but th' current's crazy underwater. You're sitting on some kind of plateau."

The person ashore suddenly seemed to decide it was time to help them out. As the person stepped out in the sunlight they could see it was a woman with hair so golden it was almost divine. Still giggling, she jumped to different spots in the river, obviously knowing every stone in it. She got to Goku first.

"Nice stunt, kiddo," she said as she helped the golden eyed boy onto a stone. "Haven't laughed like this since a Yokai tried to jump over the river once. That was a sight."

Goku looked up to thank the girl, only to have the shook of his life. Over him stood a friendly smiling, female Sanzo.


	3. The witch

Now, here's the latest chapter of this story. After this one there will be another... 1, 2, 3... absolutely not more than 4 more chapters. After all, I just wrote this story because I've laughed myself to tears when I came up with the idea (a few years ago)

On with the story now, and don't forget to review after you've read it and maybe the next chapter will be up earlier than you think.

* * *

_**The witch**_

Goku just stared with his mouth hanging open. The woman didn't seem to notice as she left him in safety on another stone and made her way to the trio waiting for help.

"Now, my sweethearts. Better get ashore before the wave comes and sweep you away." Then she too fell silent, giving the males a moment to take in her appearance. She was Sanzo's height, missing only an inch or two. Her face was exactly like Sanzo's, except for the eyes; hers were bigger with longer and thicker eyelashes. She didn't have so much on the chest party for it to be eye-catching, but she had enough curves to pass as attractive. The bare legs were her selling point; long and slim, yet powerful enough to look out for if they were to kick. Dressed only in a simple white, short kimono with cut off sleeves and her gold coloured, waist-long hair tied back in a low ponytail, she was a real pleasure to look at.

She tilted her head in a rather cute manner, staring at Sanzo. But her silence wasn't long. "Wow, you gotta be the hottest guy I've seen in my life," she beamed, showing lines of perfectly white teeth.

"Holy God…"

Everyone stared at Gojyo, who had made the sound with a very high falsetto. He was staring from the girl's face to her chest, which obviously annoyed her.

"Enjoying the view, dickface?" she asked with a face that looked so much like Sanzo when really pissed.

Gojyo just made a high pitch sound, before he was suddenly sent flying through the air towards the shore.

"I like you," Sanzo decided.

"The pleasure is mine," the girl said with a grin. "The wave comes quickly and with power. Follow my steps and I will lead you on safe paths to shore."

She went a little to the left and then jumped. Sanzo was first to follow her. He noticed that where she had stopped it looked like a line between pale and dark blue. There really were flat stone plateaus right under the surface.

"Hurry up. The wave will be here any minute. Please don't miss the stones or I won't be able to save any of you," the girl said and waved her hand, prepared to jump to the next stone the moment Sanzo moved.

Sanzo and Hakkai followed the girl's steps carefully and was soon back where they began. Goku had made it ashore his own way and met them.

"You guys all right?" he asked.

"Yes, no harm done," Hakkai said with a smile.

"No, _much_ harm done," Gojyo barked, rubbing his sore jaw.

"And that was in the last second, for here comes the wave."

You know this sound when something passes you in a real high speed? That was the sound that rang through the group's ears as something that could as well have been a water dragon roared over the river, taking everything lose with it.

The guys stared where the wave had come from, all of them hit by the "rain" that had followed it. Only the girl seemed unaffected.

"You're lucky I showed up, or you'd be down the river without a boat, and that is plain suicide. Now, you better come with me and change to dry cloths all of you. My place is not far from here."

"Uh, could I ask a question before we go anywhere?" Hakkai spoke up.

"You just did, pal. So as we walk you may as well ask something else," the girl responded with a mischievous grin.

"Uh, right. Cold you please tell us who you are?"

The girl turned around, winking at them. "Kouryuu. Kouryuu of the river's flow."

'_She even bears the same name as me,'_ Sanzo thought and frowned slightly, a faint suspiciousness lightening in his eyes.

"You guys must be hungry. If you help me out a little I will make you some food."

"FOOD?! For real? Really?"

Kouryuu laughed. "Really," she said. "But as I said, you'll have to work for it a bit. Take it as payment instead of money."

"No problem!"

"She's nothing like Sanzo," Gojyo mumbled quietly to Hakkai.

"You noticed too?"

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"

Hakkai just laughed nervously like he always did.

"We're here."

They looked up to see a very cosy looking hut under the shadow of a weeping willow. It was well made of wood dark from age. It was small, but seemed safe enough.

"Now pretty boys. Gold eyes and Redhead go for firewood, Green eyes bring me some water and branches we can use to barbecue, and the priest help me with the rest!" she ordered them all so sternly nobody could refuse.

"She sure can give orders," Gojyo mumbled to himself.

Soon enough though Kouryuu had food ready for them; fish, vegetables, some kind of wild-stew, eggs and potatoes. No one could deny it was tasty.

"So you're heading west?" Kouryuu said. "Which way?"

"We were heading through the forest to the other side and directly to the next village from there," Hakkai explained their route.

"It's not as easy as that," Kouryuu said seriously. "The forest is home to many Yokai. Most of them are harmless, but since the minus wave I've been having my fare square of trouble with them."

"The villagers never mentioned anything about Yokai," Gojyo said as a matter of fact.

"Because I am in the way. Most Yokai live on the other side of the river where they can find more food, but as they sometimes pass the river in search for human flesh I am closest, so they have never reached the village because of me."

"But aren't ye th' witch th' villagers talked about?" Goku asked.

"Witch?"

"The villagers believe the forest is hunted by a witch that takes their young men when they go into the forest," Hakkai explained.

"Oh? So _that's_ why that little girl ran away screaming the other day. How embarrassing. I thought she had seen a Yokai."

"We were jumped in the village because of it," Gojyo complained. "They thought Sanzo was you."

"I wonder why," Kouryuu said, seemingly oblivious, before she stuck her tongue out at the blond priest playfully. "Anyway, are you in a hurry west?"

"We'd like to go there as soon as possible," Sanzo said. "We have wasted our time enough."

"Well, I could save you a few weeks of travel on the road but…"

"_Weeks_?"

Kouryuu stared at the four suddenly very interested men.

"How'd ya save us two weeks?" Goku asked.

"The river," Kouryuu said simply. "I am positive you noticed the crazy current. The river heads almost straight west for about 600 miles before it turns north for 8 miles, then west again for another 100 or so miles. But it's a crazy run down the river. The stream takes you down this length of water in about a day or two, which would take a wanderer I don't know how long. Didn't count the days it took to walk here."

"But you just said…"

"You have that dragon," Kouryuu said, pointing at Jeep.

"Oh, you noticed."

"I haven't survived just for show you know," the woman smiled. "It's getting late. You can sleep here for the night and decide for what to do. If you chose the river we'll have a lot to do tomorrow. There are beds for you inside, I'll stay up for some more time."

"Thank you."

* * *

It was just passed midnight when Sanzo suddenly jolted awake. Yokai? No, there was no sensation of any Yokai nearby. Puzzled the priest sat up in his bed, trying to figure what had awoken him. Goku lay beside him, snoring, but that shouldn't have caused him his sudden awakening. 

Feeling annoyed beyond belief Sanzo silently got up and walked out in the cool night air. The forest was silent and still unnervingly peaceful. He stood there for a moment, before he started following the river upwards.

Looking at the calm surface it was hard to believe the strength of the current.

"Peaceful, huh?"

Sanzo, surprisingly enough not surprised at all at the voice, turned around to face Kouryuu, who sat basking in the silver light of the moon mixed with the light from the river.

"You never went to sleep?" he asked softly.

She stared into the depth of the river unseeing. "It's so quiet," she said. "It's so quiet on the other side, like the Yokai have all suddenly vanished… but why would Yokai such as them ever leave their home? They are almost like elves; never leaving their home."

"What's so special about the Yokai across the river?"

Kouryuu closed her eyes. "All of them are related with each other, coming from the same family. They all have soft, green eyes, white hair and tanned skin. Actually, we were kind of friends before the minus wave. Since then… I've been feeding the river with their corpses."

Sanzo stared at her for a moment, then followed her gaze into the water. As he looked, he could almost see the current moving under the surface. It had such monstrous power. Almost without him noticing, he started to sing.

_I wish that I was far away_

_Across the edge of Time_

_In front of me are mountains_

_To pass them I must climb_

_When cliffs are placed behind me_

_I meet the deceitful sea that promise me my death_

_I wish that I was far away_

_Out of reach for love_

Kouryuu smiled despite herself. She thought she was the only one in the world who knew this song. She gladly joined him, completing his deep voice with her own, brighter one.

_I wish that I was far away_

_Beyond the edge of Life_

_No matter who I am_

_I'm struggling to live_

_I sail the endless sea that promise me my death_

_I wish that I was far away_

_Out of reach for you_


	4. The start of a dangerous ride

OH MY GOSH! I'm so SORRY! I thought I had already updated this chapter AGES ago. I must have draemt it (like I seem to do more and more often. Maybe I should do a checkup in my brain. It doesn't seem to work as it used to)

Well, here is (after I don't know how long) the next chapter of this fic. I really hope you enjoy it after waiting for so long. (PLEASE forgove me)

* * *

_**The start of a dangerous ride**_

Goku, Hakkai and Gojyo were roughly awoken by a hyper Kouryuu sunrise early that morning.

"Up you go, my sweethearts!" she sang, ripping the sheets and pillows from them. "There's no time dozing in this forest! Yer priest have decided he will take the risk to take the river west and save him days in your wonderful company. So we got a bunch of work to do today in order to make it all the way with every limp where it's supposed to be!"

"What're ye talking-uff." Goku was hit in the face by a flying pillow.

"Get your lazy asses off the beds and help me make breakfast and rebuild our strength!" Kouryuu sang as she left the room.

"What's her problem?" Gojyo asked Hakkai.

"Maybe she don't want to make breakfast on her own?" the green eyed man suggested.

Sanzo was already out, having slept only the last few hours before sunrise. His hair was still wet and Kouryuu had let him borrow cloths that wouldn't be in the way during the day. She had explained the route down the river, and he really longed to see the faces of his comrades when they understood it. The Yokai living at the riverbanks only made the whole deal more interesting. It was long since he had felt such excitement.

"Oi, what are you smiling for?" Gojyo asked suspiciously. Sanzo hadn't realized a wide grin was crossing his features.

"Something funny, stupid," he answered, still grinning like a wolf at a rabbit.

"I don't like his face today," Gojyo confessed to the others.

"Have you ever liked it?" Hakkai asked pointedly.

"Less so today," the kappa said, a cold shiver running down his spine as he cast a glance at Sanzo, who looked awfully satisfied.

"Oi, Sanzo. What's up?"

"Breakfast, if you'd bring me some water," the priest answered, throwing the little Yokai a bucket.

"That's a reason Goku would grin for, not you," Gojyo pointed out.

"He asked what's up, not what I was smiling about," Sanzo more or less sneered.

"No fighting before the food is served and eaten," Kouryuu said as she appeared seemingly out of nowhere with her arms filled with dry firewood.

Gojyo, for the moment, dropped the case about Sanzo grinning like a wolf, knowing the reason would appear sooner or later, and turned to the female blonde.

"You said we're going down the river. When'll we depart?"

"With the next wave," Kouryuu said as she dropped the firewood. "Which should be this night."

"Wha? But then why did ya wake us up so damn early?" Goku, who just came back with the water, exclaimed.

"Cause we got a hell o lotta work to do today. First of all, we need to eat."

At that, Goku had no more complains.

Hakkai glanced at the still smirking Sanzo, who calmly fixed the food. He had a really bad feeling about the whole thing.

* * *

"Make sure those stocks are tightly tied together. If they're not we're gonna be killed by the river's power. You too, I won't be responsible for your deaths if the raft is to break under our feet. Don't forget to fill the gaps with moss, use it richly. Sanzo, are you done anytime soon?" 

Kouryuu was obviously enjoying herself royally as she walked around giving orders to left and right. But she was working just as hard herself with bringing them everything they needed and making new ropes, oars and a rudder. She was actually making two extras as well, for security. If unable to steer on the river they would be lost.

Gojyo, Hakkai and Goku were making one twelve stocks broad raft each, which Kouryuu had explained was necessary. They would place the tree rafts on each other, the middle one crossing the one below and on top, tying them together.

"The third is soon done," Sanzo reported. What he was doing only Kouryuu really knew. It had something to do with sewing, that much Hakkai was able to decide from discreetly watching the priest work.

"I'm going to catch us some fish," Kouryuu announced. "Sanzo, blow some life in the fire when you're done with that. I'll be back soon."

"That bitch," Gojyo growled. "I wanna know just what we need a three rafts high raft for. Completely unnecessary."

"I would prefer to think she knows the best," Hakkai said nervously.

"I prefer to think she will make a whole bunch of food for us as thank you for building those rafts for 'er," Goku complained.

Gojyo growled. "It must be nice thinking like you."

"You're all underestimating her," Sanzo spoke up as he put away whatever he was working with. "She has travelled down the river on the back of the wave, surviving by the skin of her teeth. If you tried you'd be dead by the first bend."

"And of cause you would know," Gojyo asked annoyed.

"She told me last night."

"So she told you th' way down th' river?" Goku asked.

"Yeah."

"Then I trust you know if the way is safe or not," Hakkai smiled.

"I do."

"…And?" Gojyo pressed.

"Ah-ha!"

The tree men turned to a victorious little girl they all recognized from the village.

"I knew it!" she said loudly. "You are slaves of the witch!"

Gojyo had a rope in his hands and were very ready to use it to strangle the girl. Usually the thought of hurting a girl, especially a kid, would never cross his mind, but at the moment he felt so used he stepped closer to the girl with rope in hand, but before he could reach her, a spear cut through the air and buried itself in a tree, right under Gojyo's nose.

"Even if you have only half a bond to humans, it doesn't give you the right to hurt them. Especially not a little kid," Kouryuu scolded when she appeared between the trees. She had a bundle with fish. She was obviously very good at it.

"I'm not scared of you!" the girl said, blowing her chest up, looking cocky.

"Why thank you for saying so after screaming at my face the other day," the woman said sourly.

"And we're _not_ her slaves," Gojyo growled.

"You're all Yokai!" the girl yelled.

"Perhaps," Kouryuu said. "We may be Yokai, we may be humans, we may be devils… we may be _Gods_." She turned to the little girl with a strange glimmer in her purple eyes, making the girl shrink back fearfully.

"Hey, and you scold _me_ not to hurt a kid," Gojyo hissed, not liking the way Kouryuu talked.

"Words have never killed anyone. But I'm not lying. I don't know who I am, therefore not what I am. You should be glad you have chosen whose side you're on."

Kouryuu took out her spear from the tree and called for the other three to help her with the dinner. Then she turned to the girl. "You are welcome to join us, if you're not too high and mighty to blend yourself with outcasts like us."

"We're no outcasts," Gojyo stated.

"Indeed?"

"But you're the Yokai witch living in this forest, taking our men away," the girl suddenly yelled.

Kouryuu, who always seemed to be so calm, suddenly snapped. "Those men were killed by Yokai, yes. But humans are far from innocent. They entered the forest wanting to kill Yokai, they underestimated them and were killed. It's not harder than that. Now go home before I let you join the Yokai in the river."

The girl flinched in fear before she started running from the place.

"I take it you don't like humans very much?" Hakkai asked carefully.

"Humans act like gods, Gods act like sinners, devils act like Yokai, Yokai act like saints. Whatever pretty names you give them, they are all the same when it comes to the roots, still they all try to make themselves into something they can't be. That's what my _owner_ told me once."

"Owner?"

"Since I was a foundling the one who found me called himself my master, and I was his slave. His mistake was to teach me how to fight. I don't think I need to tell you the reason he died."

"The one who found you was a human?"

"Yes, and once he was dead the Yokai of this forest took me in. The minus wave has been a real heartbreaker. Not only for me, I suppose."

They ate in silence, but as soon as they were done Kouryuu was back to her normal, bossy self.

"No more laziness while I'm still around. If you don't catch the next wave you'll be stuck for another day under my supervise, and right now I'm positive none of you want that, do you?"

She was met by a union groan.

* * *

Kouryuu worked harder than before after the lunch. She helped Goku tie the stocks together, she gave contracture advices to Gojyo, bandaged Hakkai's foot when he happened to drop the raft on it and took over his job so that he could rest and tie ropes as she showed him how to do it. All the while giving orders to all of them. 

Sanzo was fastening the things he had done on the raft Hakkai had been making, which Kouryuu had decided would be on top. It seemed to be a rather difficult matter and Kouryuu was not late to instruct him how to do it. When he finally was done they helped each other to put the three rafts on top of each other and then push it into the river.

"Now we have to drag it upstream for some time. You guys stay ashore while I stabile the raft from the water. I know this river better than my own hand so don't worry about me. The wave will come in about an hour so work fast. I want to fasten the rudder before the wave comes. Don't forget to have your weapons ready, the shorelines aren't free from Yokai."

They all followed her orders as good as they could. And at last they had landed the raft on a stone with one end pointing up enough for Kouryuu to fasten the rudder.

"All aboard and make yourself at home. Tie a foot of yours to the raft and be sure you can move over the whole thing. We must wait like this until the wave comes to pick us up."

"Can I ask something?" Goku said.

"If it is about the rafts position, it is because if we lay plain we'll be inside the wave and not on top of it as I want to. Leaning it like this will make the wave pick it up to carry us on the back."

"Okay." Goku hadn't quite understood everything she said, but he did catch the inside/on top the wave thingy.

"Oi, Sanzo. What are these things for?" Gojyo finally asked, looking at the things at each edge of the raft.

"You'll see," was all Sanzo said. He was starting to look really exited now.

"We have another few minutes before the wave comes, so try to relax until I give the signal."

Goku sat down with Jeep on the lower part of the raft where he was protected from the sun. Gojyo and Hakkai soon joined him. All three of them looked up on the captain when she suddenly started to sing.

_I wish that I was far away_

_Across the edge of Time_

_In front of me are mountains_

_To pass them I must climb_

_When cliffs are placed behind me_

_I meet the virgin sea that promise me my death_

_I wish that I was far away_

_Out of reach for love_

All three of the Yokai friends were surprised when Sanzo suddenly joined Kouryuu in the song. But none of them could really complain. Sanzo had a very good, clear, deep voice that was pleasurable to listen to, and it mixed perfectly with Kouryuu's brighter one.

_I wish that I was far away_

_Beyond the edge of Life_

_No matter who I am_

_I'm struggling to live_

_Following the trail of blood_

_I sail the endless sea that promise me my death_

_I wish that I was far away_

_Out of reach for you_

The look-alike duo continued to sing, and their song was joined by the sounds of the river and the forest.

_I wish that I was far away_

_Where Death has no control_

_We keep our dreams or set them free_

_To God or Hell below_

It was faint at first, but the sound of the wave swiftly came closer.

_With time I paint the image of me_

_And cross the raging sea that promise me my death_

_I wish that I was far away_

"Prepare yourselves!" Kouryuu yelled and all of them grabbed an oar each. As the captain and Sanzo ended the song they saw the face of the wave.

_Out of reach for me_


	5. Riding raging waters

I must say I'm awfully sorry about the long wait and the very short chapter. This chapter was hard to write, but that's only an excuse and I'll take the blame if you hate me for it (cries).

* * *

**_Riding__ raging waters_**

They had all witnessed the power of the wave the day before, but to ride this incredible power was a thrill and adrenaline kick. Kouryuu had to yell at the top of her lungs to over voice the ranging monster they rode.

The shore became a mass of colours that rushed by them. Jeep was sprawled over Hakkai's chest, trying his best to not be crushed from the rush of air. They all had a hard time breathing in the high speed, and how Kouryuu could navigate with such certainty was a mystery. She managed to get them safe out of all the turns that shot the water 40 feet up in the air. None of them could hear the scraping sounds made by the raft's bottom when they scrapped against sharp rocks and other things the ranging wave took with it along its rampage.

"There's a sharp turn starboard up ahead! All helmsmen to the left raft side!"

In the middle of the turn a loud sound of broken wood was heard from beneath them.

"What was that?" Goku yelled.

"We just survived the shark's jaws with the raft alive!" Kouryuu yelled back where she hung on the rudder to keep the raft away from the too dangerous parts. "Concentrate on the water! The next part will be jumpy."

No kidding. They were all glad they were tied to the raft or they would have been left flying head first into the rapids. Jeep whined and somehow managed to crawl into Hakkai's shirt.

"There're a few short falls ahead. Hold on at the raft's middle!" Kouryuu screamed.

Kouryuu's human muscles worked against the power of the raging waters as if they were built for that purpose only. Her entire body was tense and had the men touched her they would believe she was made of stone. But what scared Hakkai when he caught a glimpse of her when they flew over the edges of the 15, 17, 19 inches high falls, was her face. Kouryuu was smiling! Her eyes shone with excitement and something that could be taken for either joy or insanity.

"All hands on the oars, we must speed up more!"

"**SPEED UP!?**" Gojyo and Goku both screamed at her before being kicked into action. They were lucky Kouryuu never aimed to actually kick them or they would have fallen into the water and not be able to make it out in one piece.

Goku turned to Sanzo to complain, but stopped at the sight of the monk's face. Sanzo's face mirrored Kouryuu's. He was _enjoying_ this insane trip.

"Lay flat on the raft after the next turn!" Kouryuu yelled, her eyes shining even more than before. "Each of you, get a grip of the sticks in the corners and pull them out when I tell you."

The four men obeyed without a word, until Kouryuu's next lines. "Hold on now. Let's fly over the edge of the waterfall from Hell!"

Three heads peeked up. "Waterfall?"

The next second there were no more water beneath them.

"**WHAT THE FUCK!"**

"PULL THE STICKS **NOW**!"

It was as if Kouryuu controlled all four men's movements. Gojyo, Hakkai and Goku all felt their arms react without them through their panic. Only Sanzo seemed to have complete trust in the navigator.

When the sticks were removed a smaller parachute stretched out in each end and stopped their fall.

No one knew how it happened, but suddenly Kouryuu had remade the water rudder to an air rudder. She had her back turned to the men and used her two arms to make the raft turn in the air. She looked over her shoulder to make sure they stayed above the river below. This would be the calmest part of the trip.

Goku was the first to gain enough courage to look down upon the world below. Beyond the mist caused by the giant waterfall he saw naked cliffs, lush forests and fields of different coloured flowers, and every here and there this enormous landmass was spotted with villages living at the wild river's veins.

"Wow!"

"Make sure to rest as much as possible," Kouryuu instructed. We'll be back on the river in a few minutes, and then we have another wild trip waiting for us."

"How long?" Hakkai asked.

"There is a lake at the end of our route I hope to reach alive. That will be the end of this trip and you can continue your little less exiting travels from there. But if we land too early I'm afraid the raft won't hold."

Goku took a look at the raft itself, noticing that; "We only have one raft left!"

"We've already placed 400 miles behind," Kouryuu said brightly. "The next part won't be as fast, but the current's wild enough to demand respect."

Hakkai tried to remember how long they had been on the river.

"I told you this little insane trip would take us about half a day, but seriously, I don't think there are many other idiots in this screwed up world that would take the chance to travel 400 miles in only 15 minutes," Kouryuu said, as if she had read Hakkai's thoughts.

"Aren't we gonna eat soon?" Goku asked.

"If you manage to catch a fish later you can eat it raw," Kouryuu said matter-of-factly. "But I think there are a few fruit trees along the riversides. Try to catch one while we pass, but we won't stop anywhere."

They were very low over the river now. Goku saw the rapids and sharp stones beneath the surface. "We're not gonna land here, are we?"

"I seriously don't hope so," Kouryuu answered. "If we do we're dead."

"What? We gotta do something! Sanzo!"

"I can't create wind dimwit," the monk said rather calmly.

"Let's take a chance and take the shortcut," Kouryuu said and changed direction.

The raft left the river and glided over treetops. The river had only made a turn, like a loop around the half-island. The men all felt their stomachs flutter as the raft sank lower and lower over the treetops. They actually brushed against the top of the last trees before they were over the river again. They all, Kouryuu included, let out a sigh of relief.

"Rip off the parachutes right before landing and hold on, this is a really twisty part," Kouryuu told them before they landed on the rapids of the river. The navigator had already remade the rudder again and skilfully manoeuvred the raft with the help of the men who, now more willingly than before, obeyed her orders. They didn't go in the same breakneck speed as before, but still fast enough for them to have problems balancing. All this time all but Kouryuu had stood on their knees or laid on their stomachs. How the woman had managed was a mystery.

Sanzo felt it first, the energy of Yokai, and exchanged a glance with Kouryuu. She shook her head at him, silently telling him to not do anything yet.

Now when they weren't surrounded by the roar of wind and water, the scraping coming from beneath didn't go unnoticed.

"Um, Kouryuu?" Goku said worriedly.

"We will hold," the woman said with a reassuring smile. "We're going fast enough and the stones here are round instead of pointy."

The 46 miles they went since their landing was rather boring compared to the beginning. But as they went and the river straightened out the current became wilder. All the time Sanzo felt the Yokai around, just at the outside of his senses, and he knew Kouryuu sensed them as well.

"We'll reach the lake in about forty-five minutes/an hour," Kouryuu told them as she did her best to keep the raft in the stream. Her muscles were tired and arching from working against forces far more powerful than human imagination can understand.

"I smell Yokai," Goku suddenly said.

"About time," Sanzo muttered.

"They've been following us since we landed," Kouryuu said, her eyes still fixed on the water ahead. "The forest Yokai here isn't friendly, but they usually wouldn't do anything if not attacked first."

"You know them?" Hakkai asked.

"I prefer the ones upstream," was all she said.

"They're not your friends?"

"They tried to eat me once. Does that answer your questions?"

Three of the four men nodded. Sanzo was distracted by a familiar sense. Spider Yokai.

"We should watch it. I can smell an old friend of mine." Kouryuu almost growled. "Man, do I hate spiders."

"Spiders? Where?"

Kouryuu wasn't sure if Goku actually was that stupid or if he was fooling around with her. "Shut up and concentrate on the oars. Once we get to the lake we'll be out in the open and that's where it's gonna be dangerous for real.

They continued in silence. Kouryuu was the only one concentrating completely on the river, the others were distracted by the Yokai all the time. The woman had to yell at them more than once.

It took thirty minutes before they actually saw the Yokai following them. The Yokai was probably tired, because he fell into the river rather gracelessly. He quickly got out of the water and back into the shadows of the trees. Only moments later they heard him scream as and then sounds of someone eating.

"He's one life poorer now," Kouryuu stated hoarsely.

"The spider?"

"She's a perfectionist. Anyone who breaks her orders… well, you heard."

The stream steadily became wilder and Kouryuu told them to work harder with the oars. "If we're lucky we won't have to swim ashore."

They all heard the now familiar sound of a waterfall.

"Kouryuu?"

"It's only a few feet high. We'll make it. I hope."

"It's the 'I hope' line I don't like," Gojyo muttered as the fall came in sight.

This time Kouryuu didn't have to tell them to gather at the raft's middle. They did almost automatically and gritted their teeth together. All of them had bit their tongues more than once during this trip.

But as soon as they landed on the lake Kouryuu gave a short, pained yell.

"What happened?"

Stupid question. The woman had an arrow sticking out of her leg.

"Damn it all to Hell. We must get to shore or-" Kouryuu couldn't end her sentence before the raft was hit by a set of spider web.

"How many are they?" Gojyo asked as he summoned his weapon to cut off the web, only to be hit by one himself.

"Crap, what the hell?"

Kouryuu grabbed an oar in case another arrow came their way, but as soon as she found footing something hit her hard in the back, followed suit by the sticky threads of spider web. She yelped as it yanked her back and into the river.

"Kouryuu!"

The chain of Gojyo's weapon wrapped around the woman's arm and upper body.

"Now we're in some really deep shit," she complained as she was dragged in two directions. The raft was pulled the other way by the web and Gojyo was losing his balance.

Hakkai and Sanzo grabbed Gojyo around the waist with one arm and the edge of the raft with the other. Goku was busy keeping the flying arrows from hitting his friends.

The groan from the raft made all five of them pale.

"Not now."

The raft broke.


	6. I wish that I was far away

I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY, I'M SO AWFULLY **SORRY**! I would have updated this chapter the 15 (14 this month) like I always do, but that day I had so much else in my head (preparations for dinner, dancing lessons, the melody festival, cleaning aso). It's not easy having a full scedule even on the weekends ;_;

So there, finally the last chapter. I actually managed to finish this the last thing I did last year (2008-12-31 23:26).

From my heart (supposed to be updated) on Valentine's day, here's the last chapter of:

* * *

**_I wish that I was far away..._**

The raft broke under the pressure of being pulled in two directions. Gojyo, being held by Sanzo and Hakkai and still wrapped in spider web was pulled in one direction as Kouryuu, still stuck in web and Gojyo's chain, were painfully ripped in another. The chain was tight around her arm and upper body, as was the web. If one of them didn't loosen soon she could say goodbye to both her arm and ribs.

A shot echoed in the air and Kouryuu felt with relief how the web loosened and she was pulled forward in Gojyo's chain. Unable of words she cast a grateful look at Sanzo who had fired his gun at the spider web holding her. But she, Hakkai and Sanzo was still being pulled through the water by the web Gojyo was stuck in.

"Now what? We're defenceless in the water."

"Sanzo, wait until we have footing," Kouryuu rasped as she kicked to keep her head over the water.

In the middle of the lake Goku was fighting water to follow his friends, it wasn't easy to swim while being shot at, at least the other spider had a shitty aim.

"Ack, what th' hell!?" _thud_ "Eh?" Goku looked down in the water.

Ashore the Yokai peeked their heads out from their hidings in the trees and bushes. Kouryuu's glowing purple eyes glared at them from the grey water, making them hiss and awkward. Hakkai was the first to reach the sandy bottom and slowly began to work up his chi energy. With water to his waist Sanzo suddenly put his heels in the sand and shoot off the spider web.

"Feisty."

The men looked up as the spider emerged from the trees. She wasn't as huge as the last one they had fought, but her appearance wasn't of a complete spider. Where her head should be a human woman upper body grew, but the head still had eight, black, soulless eyes and her mouth was most like of the insect she was.

"Hello, widow," Kouryuu greeted with spite. "Long time no see."

"Indeed, precious. I haven't forgotten how you stole my leg the last time."

"Suck it up, widow. It grew right back, didn't it?"

Gojyo rewound his weapon, freeing the blonde woman from the chains. "Had it had a prettier face I'd like to look at it."

The complete madness that suddenly crossed the spider's face was all the warning they got when she suddenly shot out four of her eight her legs at them.

"Very wrong words to say to an insect," Kouryuu said once the spider drew back for a second to collect her control. "Bugs always need to hear how beautiful they are. Really, you know nothing about women."

"And those are the very wrong words to say to me, bitch."

"You just proved me right, asshole."

"Shut off, I'll kill you all!"

She just might have managed, had she been prepared for the attack coming from above.

"Eat this, spider lady!" Goku hit into her with a loud crack.

"Goku!"

"Where the hell were you?"

"I found a stone in the water," Goku said happily, glad to have solid ground under his feet once again. But the ride down the furious river had made them all sore from the tensions.

"Stupid monkey!" Sanzo yelled and hit him with his paper fan.

"If you have time to argue you surely must have a second to spare paying attention, right?" Kouryuu's voice made them aware of the spider's recovering, as well as the increased numbers of them.

"A male?" Gojyo queried.

"Those two are her children."

"You mean there is a fourth one?" Hakkai asked, prepared for an attack from the shade of the forest.

"This is black widows, stupid. They eat their men after being seeded.

"How gross! I'm sure these things taste as horrible as they look."

Had Kouryuu had the time she would have hit her forehead at the men's repeated stupidity. All three spiders attacked with a speed amazing for something of their size. The male too. Kouryuu and the Sanzo party were being forced back into the lake's water. And luck may have it, but Kouryuu felt how a staff of wood met her bare skin in the water.

None of the men really knew how it happened. Once second the female was doing nothing but dodging the furious attack, and the next she wielded a long staff and fought off the spiders' sharp legs.

"You found your weapon," the mother widow hissed as she pulled back. She seemed to sneer. "But you're as human as ever, precious. You still bleed with no ability to heal the wounds. This time you won't survive. I will eat you and have your beauty."

"Kouryuu's beautiful?" Gojyo asked in disbelief, earning a rough hit from the woman's staff. In that moment he realized having Sanzo hit him with a paper fan was better than his female look-alike's stick.

"A Sanzo priest."

That came from the other female spider, and at the words the mother turned to Kouryuu's male twin.

"Well, well. See here. The famous Sanzo. Then you must be the unholy four travelling west."

"So what if we are?" Sanzo said evenly. As if he would ever be afraid of a Yokai. But he detested insects so his trigger-finger itched to get rid of them.

"You know there is a saying among Yokai, that eating a priest's flesh will lengthen your life."

"How terrible. More years of ugliness."

"If _she_ doesn't kill you soon, _I_ will!" Kouryuu yelled angrily at them under the new rain of attacking legs. "Don't you ever learn your lesson? Hey, widow! Kill Green eyes before he makes a comment on your looks as well."

"That was a really mean thing to say," Hakkai accused her with a hurt look.

Sanzo fired a few shots and managed to hit both children in the head, thus turning them to ashes. That effectively stopped their mother's wild attack.

"Babies! My beautiful little babies!" She turned back to the five at the shoreline, her black eyes turning red from hate and bloodlust. "I'll kill you all!"

"You've already said that," Sanzo commented, reloading his gun.

This time not only she attacked, but the swarm of forest Yokai as well.

"Leave the widow to me!" Kouryuu yelled, the men almost automatically obeying.

Fighting herds of Yokai was something they were used to. So very used to it had become boring. But fighting herds of armed Yokai was quickly proving to be more of an excitement than their usual battles. From the corner of his eye Sanzo saw how Kouryuu was backed against the lake and helped her with a shot at the widow's leg about to strike. It gave Kouryuu the breath to get in under the spider. More than that Sanzo couldn't see since he had to turn his attention back to his task at hand.

The purple eyed man swore as an arrow grazed his forehead and ended the culprit's life with the last bullet. Hakkai was immediately at his back, covering them all from the new rain of sharpened projectiles.

"Shit. Shooting arrows is cheating!" Goku yelled in accusing when an arrow buried itself a hair in front of his foot.

"These aren't even Kougaiji's assassins. Why bother?" Gojyo prepared to lash out his blade again.

"To survive perhaps?" Hakkai said as a question, rearranging his chi to attack.

* * *

While Sanso &co dealt with the Yokai, Kouryuu had her hands full protecting herself from the black widow.

"Why keep fighting? You have nothing left. There's nowhere for you to go."

"That's not completely true," Kouryuu shot back and dodged a leg that shot for her. "I'm not about to give up my life like a loser. I'm not looking for a shortcut to God."

"You've lost all you once held dear. They're waiting for you. Can't you hear them calling?"

"Quit your shitting, lady. The day I believe you're a medium is the day I think of you as beautiful."

They say that anger is your worst enemy. The spider attacked in blind rage and Kouryuu used the opening to her vulnerable belly and pulled out her staff she had put there earlier. The widow screamed in pain as the long staff was ripped out of her. Kouryuu was in her blind spot, but it wasn't undefended. Had the blonde stood two inches farther to the left she would have lost her arm. As it was now the attack only grazed the skin.

In desperation to get rid of the girl the widow stomped with her feet in the shallow water and at the same time tried to hit the woman still under her. She suddenly pulled her legs around her body to roll around, hoping to crush the human with her weight.

The spider was huge with a weight of 450 pounds. A direct strike with one of her sharp legs with her entire weight under it would mean immediate death on Kouryuu's part. She had to use all her agility and strength to dodge and block the attacks. But when the widow brought her legs in Kouryuu had to act on reaction. She managed to hide in the fold between head and body and climbed up to her back from there. No easy task when said widow was rolling around like a dog.

Kouryuu was too desperate to stay alive, and the widow was too desperate to get rid of the intruder on her body.

With her staff, sharp and deathly, in hand the blonde woman attacked the back of the human part of the widow's body. She wasn't prepared for the spider to steal the staff, ripping it right through her body and using it against its owner.

* * *

Hakkai noticed how the black widow fell, but didn't have time to look for Kouryuu. They had managed to disseminate the Yokai, and the more that died the fewer wanted to attack.

After another good five minutes the fight was over.

"Khe. Didn't even have a nice woman to look at," Gojyo complained and kicked away a spear.

"Talk about women, where's Kouryuu?" Hakkai asked as he looked over to the stiller and stiller widow some distance away.

"That spider's almost dead," Sanzo declared and started to walk towards it. Kouryuu would probably be there. It irked him why the blonde wouldn't show herself.

"Nasty fool," they heard the widow hiss as they came closer. "All that talk, all that fighting. All for nothing."

When she started to laugh like a maniac Sanzo wasted another shot to make sure she died. And through her ashes spreading in the wind they saw her. A bloody blonde woman with her back leaning against a stone with a stick pointing out from where it was buried in her gut.

"Kouryuu!"

"Don't worry, Kouryuu. I'll close the wound," Hakkai said, but was stopped by her hand.

"No use," she whispered.

"Stop this shit immediately," Sanzo hissed as he kneeled beside her, grabbing a handful of hair to force her to look at him. "You're not going to die here."

"He-he. Sorry 'bout that. S-seems like… I can't… after all. I-I'm really… really…"

"Stop talking," the green eyed man in front ordered and pulled out the stick, causing the female to throw up blood. He quickly healed the wound.

When Kouryuu started to laugh they all stared at her. "Where are you going?" she asked, tears falling from her dull eyes. She was passing. "Can you… take me with you?" Hakkai grabbed her hand, desperate, feeling like he failed. Both Goku and Gojyo felt as helpless as Sanzo still holding onto the woman's long, golden hair.

"Where… are you going..?"

Kouryuu passed with a lonely smile on her face, staring into nothingness.

* * *

"The Yokai's just gonna dig up and eat her," the green eyed chi user said tiredly. Whatever they had to say about Kouryuu, she had been a great help.

"But we can't just leave 'er here," Goku said, his amber eyes wide with sorrow. It was unusual for him to feel like this. But he had just seen a person with Sanzo's face die right under his nose. It was a hard pill to swallow.

"The raft." The three men turned to Sanzo, who sat on the stone keeping Kouryuu's corpse upright. He was staring at something in the water and when they followed his gaze they noticed a piece of their broken raft floating towards them. Hakkai had to smile.

"I didn't make a bad work on that one, huh?"

"Of course not," Gojyo said, letting them all know a poisonous comment was on its way. "A total of three wonderful stocks are still tied together after all it suffered."

"We can use that," Sanzo declared, but he didn't move.

"Use it as what? Fire wood?"

Goku stared at the raft, a memory rising in his mind. On one of the missions they had had before this shitty mission an important person had died. The townspeople hadn't buried the corpse in the earth, saying exactly what Hakkai had said just minutes ago; the Yokai would dig up the body and eat it. Instead of burying it they had…

"We should burn her on th' raft."

Both Hakkai and Gojyo stared at him as if he had grown a second head. Then it sank in.

"Fine, how do we get it over here?"

"We can ask Jeep," Hakkai said and opened his shirt, where Jeep was miraculously still hiding and unharmed. "It's safe now, little one. You think you can help us bring those logs over here?"

The animal squeaked and took off in the sky. The logs were heavy for the little dragon, but there was no strong current pulling it so Jeep managed after a bit of pulling and pushing. Soon Goku swam out and helped him. It was the first time any of the four men had given Jeep a ride.

* * *

As Sanzo prepared the corpse for her last voyage the other three collected dry sticks to cover her with. He could remamber that night with her so clearly it hurt.

_"You know, Sanzo. No matter how beutiful a place is, it doesn't matter if you're alone to find it."_

_"What are you talking about?"_

_She smiled sadly, a lonely smile. "I've lived here for six years, even if the Yokai took me in, I never belonged to them, I never belonged here." She looked up at him, eyes clear in the blue light. "A foundling will never belong anywhere, because we were never wanted where we were born."_

_Sanzo could give her right on that one. He had never asked where he came from or why he had been in the river since he was happy with his master and father. It seemed Kouryuu hadn't had the same luck in life._

_"Can I come with you?"_

_"What?" Sanzo stared at her._

_"I hve nowhere to go. This is only a place where I waited for someone to pick me up. Will you do that? Can you take me with you?" She smiled. "Where are you going?"_

Sanzo just finished with Kouryuu's corpse when the others returned with the wood.

The men finished their preparations of the young woman's corpse as the sun slowly coloured the sky in red. They put the raft on fire and pulled it out into the lake where they watched it float. Sanzo, not the one to read sutras for the dead, started to sing;

_I wish that I was far away_

_Across the edge of time_

_In front of me are mountains and_

_To pass them I must climb_

_When cliffs are placed behind me_

_I meet the virgin sea that promise me my death_

_I wish that I was far away_

_Out of reach for love_

_---_

_I wish that I was far away_

_Beyond the edge of Life_

_It doesn't matter__ who I am _

_I'm struggling to live_

_Following the trail of blood_

_I sail the endless sea that promise me my death_

_I wish that I was far away_

_Out of reach for you_

_---_

_I wish that I was far away_

_Where Death has no control_

_We keep our dreams of set them free_

_To God or Hell below_

_With time I carve my name in stone_

_And cross the raging sea that promise me my death_

_I wish that I was far away_

_Out of reach for me_

The sky and lake was crimson now. Everything was a beautiful shade of red that brought out the green of the surrounding forest. Kouryuu didn't die alone. Sanzo's song followed her with the gazes of the last friends she made. But they all heard how Kouryuu's light voice joined the blond monk's from somewhere or everywhere_._

_I wish that I was far away_

_Forever by your side_

_So call my name just once again_

_I'll take you through the tide_

_When seas are placed behind me_

_I'll see your face again and know I've gone too far_

_I wish that I was far away_

_For there is where you are_

Before the sun fell the raft sank into the lake. Sanzo turned to his fellows. "Let's go. I don't wanna sleep in a place filled with Yokai."

"Same old Sanzo," Gojyo mumbled, but still followed.

**End**


End file.
